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Volkswagen Neeza given green light for production

FAW group and Volkswagen presented the Neeza concept at the last Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (November 2006) and last Tuesday China Car Times reports that VW is ready to put it into production early next year.

The Neeza, named after Ne-Zha a Chinese folklore hero, was designed at Volkswagen's Shanghai design center and draws its core design cues from the Chinese culture. At the Beijing show, we received unofficial word that the Neeza was a preview for the Audi Q5, but with a transverse mounted engine. It is still unclear which engine will be featured. Rumors range from the 1.4 TSI to the new Passat R36 V6.

Measuring in at just over 4,5m (58cm shorter than the Q7), the Neeza may be what Volkswagen is lacking in their line-up in the growing global SUV market. It is easy to conclude that if the Neeza does well in China, we will be seeing a westernized version in Europe and possibly North America in the future.

Mazda CX-7 diesel coming up?

Rumors suggest that the Mazda CX-7 will be getting a diesel engine and it will be sold in Europe only. The current petrol/gasoline engine chucks out 223g of CO2 per kilometre which could put off some European customers buying the SUV. Engine size is not yet known but the new engine should be on the market in 2008.

The CX-7 has been on sale in Japan and the U.S over a year now and has just been released in some European markets. The UK will recieve the new vehicle in September with a price tag of £23k.

Toyota Blade gets 3.5 litre V6

Looks pretty average, doesn't it? Pretty much like any other Toyota Auris. But this is no Auris. This is the Toyota Blade Master G, and while the outlandish name isn't backed up by outlandish looks, it is backed up by an outlandish 3.5-litre V6.

Conceived as a Golf-bashing premium hatch, the Blade is essentially a raunchier version of the Auris with slightly sharper styling and double wishbone rear suspension, which only the Auris D4-D T180 gets in the UK.

The engine is a detuned version of the 3456cc unit from the Lexus IS350, producing 276bhp and 254lb ft. There's also a 2.4-litre four-pot petrol available.

It's not just the engine that's different. The V6 Master G also gets a unique front end with bigger, deeper grille to provide more visual punch and 17-inch alloys with low-profile tyres. The gearbox is a six-speed sequential auto with steering wheel paddle shifters. The kerb weight is just 80kg up on the 2.4's.

Aimed at Golf R32 wannabe buyers at one end and downsizing baby-boomers at the other, the Blade Master G costs the equivalent of £13,650 in Japan. And sadly, that's the only place you can get it. Despite our pleas, there's no plan either to import the Master G to the UK or to start building them alongside the Auris D4-D in Derbyshire. Shame.

Land Rover Freelander gets bigger

The Land Rover Freelander was rumored to grow bigger to make way for 2 extra seats from the conventional 5 seats. The rumor has been speculating in the car industry for 6 years now. Company bosses are saying there will be no such vehicle but AutoExpress UK claim its heading for production.

The new SUV could be badged as the " Freelander MPV". If this is all true the "MPV SUV" could be available with the following trim levels; XS, SE and HSE. As with the bigger, seven-seat Discovery, it is unlikely that entry-level Freelanders, badged either S or GS, would come with the additional accommodation. Instead, the extra chairs are likely to be reserved for flagship SE and HSE models.

Despite Land Rover being a premium brand the new SUV could rival aganist the Chevrolet Captiva, Peugeot 4007, Citroen C-Crosser and Mitsubishi Outlander.

Measuring 4,500mm, the Freelander is only 45mm shorter than the Peugeot and, thanks to its long wheelbase, the boot has 1,670 litres of space – easily enough to accommodate the extra chairs. The load area may need to be remodelled to ensure the new seating provides sufficient legroom. However, what is less clear is exactly what specification the seven-seater model will be offered in, or whether the arrangement will simply be supplied as an optional extra.

At present, a total of nine different versions of the Free­lander are available, powered by a choice of just two engines: a 2.2-litre diesel and a 3.2-litre six-cylinder petrol.

Night time testing for Acura/Honda

We caught a new Acura sedan prototype night-testing in the California desert. The late-night testing was a pretty grueling affair for all involved, and the yawning test driver caught in our front-¾ shot seemed to agree.

Just which Acura model we’re dealing with here isn’t exactly clear. Our personal observations of this prototype were limited to spotting a pair of headlights through the camera’s viewfinder, tracking it and trying to maintain focus, then freezing the action with the flash. Since we can say that we never really “saw” this car with the naked eye, judging it’s size is more difficult than normal daylight situations. It looks like it’s quite big in the photos, perhaps even Acura RL, big. But industry sources like Automotive News post that the next RL isn’t due until 2010 or 2011, which may be a bit far out for a test such as this. Automotive News reports that both the TL and the TSX are due for redesigns in 2009, which seems more likely to yield finished confirmation prototypes testing out in public, albeit in the inky dark of the desert. With that in mind, the apparent size of this prototype would seem to suggest that this is the new TL.

Regardless of its designation, we can see that the Acura front-end styling cues pioneered on the TL and TSX will be continued, but to an even more dramatic degree. Acura’s pointed grille now plunges well down into the front bumper, and the slitty headlights follow a similar angle, looking quite sinister in their execution. The way the camouflage is piled-on above the Acura’s mesh grille, we wonder if this new sedan will get a variation of the “shield” found on the latest MDX and also on Acura’s wacky Advanced Sedan Concept. The prototype’s lower air-intakes resemble those on the TL, but once again they look a bit more aggressive.

Although the prototype was still thoroughly camouflaged, it appears that this new Acura sedan will get a more flowing greenhouse than any current Acura model. The roofline sweeps smoothly from the A-pillar, into a steeply raked C-pillar and backlight. The rear window disguise appears to overemphasize this effect, but the car’s silhouette certainly looks to be more fluid than any sedan in the current Acura lineup.

All-wheel-drive is expected to be offered on all Acuras, beginning in 2009, so this prototype is most likely an AWD model. A V8 option may also be in the cards. When questioned about Acura’s rumored move away from its current V6-only engine lineup, Hirohide Ikeno, president of Honda R&D Americas Inc. told Automotive News: “That is our direction...I’m pushing for it.”

Honda has a reputation among spy photographers for being overly cautious when it comes to test mules. Sure, it will let a bunch of Accords run free a few months before launch, but when it's early in the development cycle, Honda goes to great lengths to keep its prototypes out of the public eye. One common tactic is night testing which may seem to defeat the purpose of being in the desert, but even at midnight temperatures in Death Valley can remain well into triple digits. The cover of darkness didn't deter KGP photography, however, as they managed to snag this photo of the 2009 Honda Pilot on a late night test run which was testing alongside the sedan prototype.

Although its heavily camouflaged, the Pilot prototype wears a familiar look up front and has an overall size similar to the current SUV. Expected to go on sale late next year, this Pilot won't get the often rumored V8 engine that Honda keeps hinting it will build. Instead, expect a slightly more powerful version of the current V6 along with a few other improvements to keep it competitive in this rapidly growing segment.

Concept Car: Peugeot 308 RC Z

These are the first pictures of the car that will take centre stage on Peugeot's Frankfurt motor show stand this September, and we can exclusively reveal that this isn’t just a concept car, Peugeot’s actually going to build it. Peugeot will put a version of this compact 2+2 coupe into production as part of a plan to revive its fortunes. The car, based on the new 308, should be launched within the next 18 months and will provide Peugeot with a cut-price rival for the Audi TT. It could even revive Peugeot’s credentials as a maker of driver’s cars.

The Frankfurt show super-Pug:

Called 308 RC Z, this compact coupe will make its debut as a concept car at Frankfurt alongside the new 308 hatch and although it’s closely based on the hatchback, Peugeot has cut weight and added power. The RC Z uses aluminium and carbonfibre to slice the 308’s estimated 1300kg kerbweight by 100kg to 1200kg. The RC Z is the same length as the hatch but 25mm wider and slightly lower.

Under the bonnet is a 218bhp version of Peugeot’s turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. This is the more powerful version of the 175bhp engine in the 207 GTi and Mini Cooper S, and under an agreement between BMW and PSA it will be used first in the new Mini Cooper Works next year. Torque is also up by 29lb ft to 206lb ft, with up to 221lb ft available on overboost. CO2 output is 160g/km, 11g/km less than the smaller 207 GTi.

That engine gives the RC a 0-60mph time of 7.0sec and a 50-75mph time of 7.5sec in fifth gear, with a maximum speed of 146mph. The car also has a new six-speed manual gearbox.

Underneath, the RC Z is configured like a 308, with a torsion beam rear axle and a MacPherson strut front. But Peugeot has replaced steel components with aluminium ones to cut weight and, it claims, improve the car’s handling and steering. The coupe also has 59mm wider front and rear tracks than the hatch, which will aid stability. The production version is likely to be very similar to this concept, although it will probably lose the unusual groove in the roof, which improves aerodynamics and helps to create enough downforce to reduce rear-end lift without the need of a spoiler.

When the finished car arrives in two years’ time, prices are expected to start from around £17,000.